Is this an episodic time-waster or tense thriller? The star-power of Stanley Tucci and the eminently watchable leads, Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas try their best to ignite interest, But this basically becomes a travelogue as they attempt to save the world.
The series starts with a 12 minute action packed sequence before the title is even introduced. Series creators David Weil, Bryan Oh and Josh Applebaum follow the now well-worn tactic of throwing lots of gun-fire and explosions at the outset (think James Bond or Marvel) to keep the audience from clicking away.
The opening episode bounces the timeline back and forth over the 8 years since Manticore wiped out Citadel, except for Mason Kane (Madden), Nadia Sinh (Chopra Jonas) and Bernard Orlick (Tucci). One small problem: Kane and Sinh’s memories were erased in last ditch escapes.
The use of lower third locator graphics popping up every other minute takes the story to yet another international setting which causes a bit of whiplash. In reality, we’re left with cookie cutter goons chasing after Kane and Sinh under the direction of a most venal evil boss at the top of the political power heap. That’s another reveal that’s given away early in the production.
In a nutshell, the three heroes work for Citadel, a super-secret, uber powerful spy agency. They position themselves as “the good guys” saving the rights and freedoms of all peoples, not only from corrupt governments, but from the equally powerful, secretive “bad-guys’ of the Manticore syndicate.
Over the ensuing 8 years, Kane and Sinh have built lives with no idea who they really are nor their lethal capabilities, until Bernard tracks down Kane to enlist him back into the war against Manticore. The bad guys goal? To control the world of course.
The two super-agents are just too hot to not have history and the script oozes with that part of the story in flash-frame flashbacks, screwing with the timeline. The technique is probably designed to intrigue with the complication of love and sex entering the mix, but the quick cuts practically give the whole story away.
Madden and Chopra Jonas, to their credit, are game, going for it in their action sequences. They both take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. But they are saddled with a script that makes them play their roles with mostly deadpan looks, sprinkled with some snide comebacks and sarcasm. Their charm wears off quickly. We’re left with a predictable run-of-the-mill globe-trotting spy chase. The biggest task facing this show is trying to eek out enough plot twists to fill the episodes before they save the world. This Citadel is no fortress showcasing great TV.
Prime Video 6 episodes TV-14
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